14 comments:

It sure would be an unpleasant surprise if you arrived at one of thise hotels and found them abandoned. Guss you'd just have to drive a little further and hope you'd fnd somewhere else soon. We often travelled without booking in advance, as we didn't want to be tied down to getting somewhere by a certain time, or staying in a place that didn't look so good, but then we usually travelled in off-peak periods so it wasn't a problem.

What if you were staying at the Cliff House on the day it burnt down, now that would be a different story altogether. stay it looks very smart now (thanks for the link) I would be very happy to spend a night or two there.

Such an enjoyable romp - particularly the picture of the Cliff Top Hotel in San Francisco which we visited a couple of years ago and enjoyed a splendid glass of beer whilst watching the sun set in the Pacific. Your warning about never knowing what to expect from just a name is somewhat worrying - we have just booked into a place called The Grand Majestic Plaza in Prague - I will report back on what we find.

Some of these places look down right scary. The Cliff House must have been wonderful before the fire, I am glad it was rebuilt. Thankfully, I check out the trip advisor reviews before I choose a hotel. Great post, have a happy day!

If ever you get lost in central Oregon, you might consider the hotel in Shaniko -- I believe in might still be open a few weeks in the summer. It would rival, in looks, the hotel in Bateman, South Dakota. Fun post to read.

Hopefully the current Cliff House in S.F. is made of sterner stuff - the first three versions having either burnt down or been otherwise destroyed. The burning of the so charming Victorian version perched on the very edge of the cliff was really sad as it happened only a year after surviving the huge earthquake of 1906. Today's version may have plenty of windows from which to enjoy views of the ocean from inside, but the exterior design has no charm whatsoever and actually looks somewhat like nearby San Quentin Prison.

Great photos and a fun post of 'what ifs' Karen. I have been fortunate with the hotels we have stayed at but closest to one of these was a real old hotel right next to a railway line where the freight trains rumbled through all night.

Oh dear, many what ifs. reminder of a hotel I stayed at late one night when I had driven too late and was too tired, and it looked like what used to be called a Ramada Inn, but wasn't, and this one had supposedly been renovated, but the original carpet and bathroom fixtures, and drapes and wall coverings were evident (and for all I know the bed). I was too tired to care, and when I woke up I saw the air conditioning unit was just sitting in a hole in the wall with space all around it.